KellemenĂ˘â‚¬â„˘s ChristianThe Best of Guide:Making your life easier by finding, summarizing, evaluating, and posting the best resources on a wide variety of topics from a Christian perspective.

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The Twenty Most Influential Books on

The Theology of Biblical Counseling and Spiritual Formation

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Note: The following books focus on a theology/theory of biblical counseling and spiritual formation. They do not highlight methodology/practice. They focus on a broad theory of people, problems, and solutions. They do not highlight specific Ă˘â‚¬Ĺ“issuesĂ˘â‚¬Âť in Ă˘â‚¬Ĺ“counselingĂ˘â‚¬Âť (such as depression, anxiety, etc.).

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Note: For the sake of space, I have not reviewed each of these books. However, I do have a 55-page document that reviews over 125 books on Biblical Counseling and Spiritual Formation: http://bit.ly/sYx1U. The fuller document explains that I do not endorse everything in all the books below. ThatĂ˘â‚¬â„˘s why my subtitle to this post is: Ă˘â‚¬Ĺ“The Twenty Most InfluentialĂ˘â‚¬Âť rather than Ă˘â‚¬Ĺ“The Best Of.Ă˘â‚¬Âť

Powlison, David. Seeing with New Eyes: Counseling and the Human Condition through the Lens of Scripture. Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R, 2003.

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Pugh, John. Christian Formational Counseling: The Work of the Spirit in the Human Race. Mustang, OK: Tate Publishing, 2008.

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Tripp, Paul David. Instruments in the RedeemerĂ˘â‚¬â„˘s Hands: People in Need of Change Helping People in Need of Change. Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R, 2002.

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Important Stuff

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*Your Guide: Bob Kellemen, Ph.D., LCPC, is the Founder and CEO of RPM Ministries (www.rpmministries.org) through which he writes, speaks, and consults to equip GodĂ˘â‚¬â„˘s people to change lives with ChristĂ˘â‚¬â„˘s changeless truth. He blogs daily at http://rpmministries.blogspot.com.

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*My Necessary Disclaimer: Of course, I donĂ˘â‚¬â„˘t endorse everything in every article, book, or link that youĂ˘â‚¬â„˘ll find in KellemenĂ˘â‚¬â„˘s Christian The Best of Guide. I report, you decide.

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*Your Suggestions Are Welcomed: Feel free to post comments and/or send emails (rpm.ministries@gmail.com) about resources that you think deserve attention in various categories covered in KellemenĂ˘â‚¬â„˘s Christian The Best of Guide.

Here is how I (John Pugh) would state the purpose of the Biblical Counseling and Spiritual Formation Network (BCSFN) of the American Association of Christian Counselors (AACC): to identify the work of the Christ manifest by the work of the Holy Spirit in any given counseleeĂ˘â‚¬â„˘s life and to use this information in a manner that will successfully advance these counselees through their recovery and change process.

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While some might regard the ideas of BCSFN as too narrow of a focus by the variety of observed dysfunctional human behavior, on the contrary, a BCSFN perspective on the counseling activity actually involves a much broader, more dynamic view of human beings than traditional secular theories would propose. The counseling perspective that judiciously employs BCSFN ideology would involve a more rounded and comprehensive description of how human beings respond and change.

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The BCSFN perspectives extend counseling theory well beyond the concepts that describe human pathology so that it more comprehensively lays the foundation and purpose for all human behavior whether or not the pathology can be identified that, in effect, create a more fully developed concept for counseling theory. BCSFN does not just modify traditional counseling methods; it creates a whole new focus for the life change process that might be used to truly help any counselee.Ă‚Â Ă‚Â

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Christian Spiritual Formation concepts have been used to describe the SpiritĂ˘â‚¬â„˘s work within the life of a human being beyond that of institutionalized religion to that of a more personal form of experience with God while living in this world as a human being. It focuses on human beings who are in a living synthesis of their faith, or the lack thereof, through their everyday life experiences. The BSCFN division of AACC is especially relevant to counseling practice in light of this Christian Spiritual Formation definition because spirituality is seen in terms of its practical manifestations of personal struggles that human beings face in their everyday experiences that reflect their personal response to the SpiritĂ˘â‚¬â„˘s work regardless of their personal background or orientation.

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The ultimate objective of BCSFN, as I see it, is to consider the whole counsel of GodĂ˘â‚¬â„˘s Word and to review the SpiritĂ˘â‚¬â„˘s work in the daily living of any person by looking for patterns that start with the typical responses that human beings give to the Holy SpiritĂ˘â‚¬â„˘s work and how those responses may impact the personĂ˘â‚¬â„˘s self-concept, behavior, and their social and emotional functioning extensively. The SpiritĂ˘â‚¬â„˘s work may be observed in daily living as well as in the counseling practice.

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As the practical manifestations of the SpiritĂ˘â‚¬â„˘s work are considered, certain response patterns related to the spiritual dimension within human life will emerge. BCSFN will continue to pursue knowledge and information that may describe these patterns and how they might impact our traditional views of formal personality theory and how that modified point of view might also reformulate counseling practice.

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BSCFN will comply with the views of theological anthropology in a very real and practical way. While the study of theological pneumatology traditionally carries the study of the Holy Spirit to higher-level theological explanations that involve a greater understanding of how human experiences are transformed by the work of God, BCSFN perspectives will pursue an understanding of the person that observes these transformations through the practical evidence of the SpiritĂ˘â‚¬â„˘s work on the level of human experience.

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The ideas set forth by this division may also have varied responses. Some may respond in a way to indicate that the specific concepts set forth in this work would amount to an over-spiritualization or an over-moralization of the typical problems that people face. This reaction may be due to the desire to separate, that which is spiritual from the realm of what is deemed to be psychological.

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This objection would likely be given in order to draw a hard line of distinction between work of professional counseling or psychology and the work of professional ministry. There is little comfort to be found in such a distinction because the same objection reveals that within this perspective there is an inadequate understanding of what Christian Spiritual Formation brings to the subject of defining human personality.

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A true psychology and accurate perspective on human personality theory would not rule out such an important feature that would give a more comprehensive view of what human beings generally experience with God whether or not the person is so oriented in faith. The Christian Spiritual Formation perspective on human beings embraces the realm of true psychology rather than being distinct from it.

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At the same time, others might critique the BCSFN focus as not being Ă˘â‚¬Ĺ“biblicalĂ˘â‚¬Âť enough. That perspective might disparage any reference to professional counseling or psychology as having nothing valid to offer. It is true that the counselor in training needs to have more than a psychological training to be effective, but the truly competent counselor should utilize everything that could help the counselor gain a greater understanding of people placing every item of information about human beings into the arsenal of understanding including research. But a more comprehensive understanding of the human personality generated from a theological perspective is essential for an effective strategy to be effectively implemented. It appears that the present human need and especially the future prospects for helping others in counseling will demand more training broadly rather than less training to be effective. Ultimately our learning must be from God regardless of the source of information as Proverbs 1: 7 admonishes, Ă˘â‚¬Ĺ“the fear of Lord is the beginning of knowledge.Ă˘â‚¬Âť

Christ-Esteem: The world talks about Ă˘â‚¬Ĺ“self-esteem.Ă˘â‚¬Âť But GodĂ˘â‚¬â„˘s Word teaches us about Ă˘â‚¬Ĺ“Christ-esteemĂ˘â‚¬ÂťĂ˘â‚¬â€ťhow God views us, sees us, accepts us, and loves us through Christ. Knowing how God relates to us because of our relationship to Christ is vital to glorifying God, defeating the lies of Satan, and ministering powerfully.

Christ-Esteem: The world talks about Ă˘â‚¬Ĺ“self-esteem.Ă˘â‚¬Âť But GodĂ˘â‚¬â„˘s Word teaches us about Ă˘â‚¬Ĺ“Christ-esteemĂ˘â‚¬ÂťĂ˘â‚¬â€ťhow God views us, sees us, accepts us, and loves us through Christ. Knowing how God relates to us because of our relationship to Christ is vital to glorifying God, defeating the lies of Satan, and ministering powerfully.

Recommended: Strength in Numbers is a helpful introduction to biblical counseling done two-by-two by GodĂ˘â‚¬â„˘s people in the local church.

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Review: Biblical Counseling Two-by-Two

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Dr. Mark Shaw, author of Strength in Numbers, is passionate about team biblical counseling. By Ă˘â‚¬Ĺ“teamĂ˘â‚¬Âť he means counseling in tandemĂ˘â‚¬â€ťin teams of two. The title, subtitle, and cover image (a team of eight holding hands) initially led me to think the book was about how to become a church where biblical counseling principles of Christian living infiltrate the DNA of everything a church does. Though Pastor ShawĂ˘â‚¬â„˘s writings support that concept, readers should realize that Ă˘â‚¬Ĺ“teamĂ˘â‚¬Âť in this book means co-counseling with one other person.

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Team Biblical Counseling

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Shaw builds his approach to two-person counseling from passages such as Luke 10:1; Mark 11:1-2; and Mark 6:7, where Jesus sent his disciples out two-by-two. Shaw also uses PaulĂ˘â‚¬â„˘s ministry with Barnabas, Silas, and Timothy to support his tandem counseling theory. Additionally, Shaw shares a litany of reasons why tandem counseling can be better for the counselors and for the counselee.

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What Shaw pictures and promotes involves two counselors in every counseling session. Sometimes his model would involve a Ă˘â‚¬Ĺ“Paul/BarnabasĂ˘â‚¬Âť pairing of a more experienced biblical counselor mentoring a counselor-in-training. Other times his model includes a Ă˘â‚¬Ĺ“David/JonathanĂ˘â‚¬Âť pairing of two equally experienced counselors working together with a counselee in ongoing sessions.

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Wisely, Shaw acknowledges that Ă˘â‚¬Ĺ“the Lord is not limited to one model of ministryĂ˘â‚¬Â¦Ă˘â‚¬Âť (p. 41). In other words, while Shaw prefers and practices two-person counseling, he does not claim that it is the only right approach or that Ă˘â‚¬Ĺ“traditionalĂ˘â‚¬Âť one-person counseling is Ă˘â‚¬Ĺ“wrong.Ă˘â‚¬Âť This is important since other verses could be marshaled that teach and illustrate one-to-one ministry, and theological and logical reasons could be offered in support of individual ministry. Also, church history is replete with examples of individual spiritual direction from the Church Fathers, through the Reformers, to the Puritans.

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What Is Biblical Counseling?

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Even before addressing team biblical counseling, Shaw introduces his readers to what he means by biblical counseling. First, he distinguishes it from secular psychological therapy and from Ă˘â‚¬Ĺ“integrationistĂ˘â‚¬Âť approaches (which he defines briefly as Ă˘â‚¬Ĺ“mixingĂ˘â‚¬Âť biblical truth and man-centered theory).

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Second, Shaw relates biblical counseling to soul care. Ă˘â‚¬Ĺ“Biblical counseling reclaims the care of souls to the body of ChristĂ˘â‚¬Âť (p. 9). He seeks to reclaim the care of souls to the rightful ownerĂ˘â‚¬â€ťChrist and His church.

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Third, he offers definitions of biblical counseling. Ă˘â‚¬Ĺ“The goal of ministry in a biblical counseling and discipleship context is to lovingly confront someone when their thinking is unbiblicalĂ˘â‚¬Âť (p. 13). Ă˘â‚¬Ĺ“The biblical counselor is called to speak the truth of GodĂ˘â‚¬â„˘s Word in the love of the Holy Spirit to hurting soulsĂ˘â‚¬Âť (p. 18). Ă˘â‚¬Ĺ“Biblical counseling is micro-discipleship, meaning that we focus upon one specific problem area at a time in an effort to help the counselee grow in ChristĂ˘â‚¬Âť (p. 33).

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Shaw is to be applauded for his clear emphasis on both the truth and love components. Some biblical counseling has been caricatured as neglecting the relational, loving aspect. But Shaw consistently insists on integrating truth and relationship. Ă˘â‚¬Ĺ“LetĂ˘â‚¬â„˘s counsel others with the balance of compassion and doctrine. LetĂ˘â‚¬â„˘s present the truth of GodĂ˘â‚¬â„˘s Word in the love of the Holy SpiritĂ˘â‚¬Âť (p. 13).

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ShawĂ˘â‚¬â„˘s definitions and illustrations in the book can give the impression at times that biblical counseling is only or primarily problem-focused (confrontation of unbiblical thinking, focusing upon specific problem areas, etc.). This is a common definitional emphasis issue in modern biblical counseling.

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Biblically and historically, Ă˘â‚¬Ĺ“counselingĂ˘â‚¬Âť has been broader than sin-focused, confrontation-focused, and problem-focused. It has, instead, focused comprehensively on the personĂ˘â‚¬â„˘s whole life through soul care that offers biblical sustaining and healing for suffering and through spiritual direction that offers reconciling and guiding for struggles against sin, both with the goal of personal sanctification that glorifies God.

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While ShawĂ˘â‚¬â„˘s emphasis on love, on hurting souls, on counseling as whole life discipleship, and on returning soul care to the church surely indicates a comprehensive approach to suffering and sin, readers might be better served by more expansive definitions and illustrations of the nature of biblical counseling. A Christ-centered, comprehensive, compassionate, and culturally-informed approach to spiritual friendship empowers biblical counseling to blend seamlessly into the fabric of the ministry of the Body of Christ.

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The Nuts and Bolts

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While Strength in Numbers will not teach readers how to Ă˘â‚¬Ĺ“doĂ˘â‚¬Âť biblical counseling, it does teach pastors a model for implementing team biblical counseling in the local church. Like other books on lay counseling in the church, Shaw suggests a three-tiered ministry. The level one minister is the supervisor; the level two ministers are leaders-in-training; and the level three ministers are lay biblical counselors.

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Shaw outlines a step-by-step developmental process. The level one leader is to be trained, typically by an outside biblical counseling accrediting organization, and then brings that training back to the local church. That primary supervisor then recruits a team of leaders-in-training, duplicating the training received outside. That group then recruits lay people from the church who receive at least thirty hours of biblical counseling training. Once the training is completed, co-counseling begins. Ongoing theory/practice equipping is required. Shaw addresses issues of advertising, organizing, administration, assigning cases, and other nuts and bolts matters.

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Some Minor Formatting/Editing Issues

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While not central to the message of the book, Strength in Numbers has some minor formatting problems that can distract from the message. Some quotation marks are straight and others are cursive. Some book titles are underlined and some are not (most current books use italics for book titles). On some occasions when underlining is used for emphasis, the underlining goes to the end of the words while at other times it goes beyond the end of the words. Unlike most professionally formatted books today, Strength in Numbers double-spaces between paragraphs (accept the few times when this is inconsistent). A few times quotation marks are lacking at the beginning of a quote. A few times there are no spaces between sentences. At times exclamation points are used excessively. Again, these are formatting/editing issues and not content matters, but they can divert attention from the message. Hopefully future additions will give the book a more polished, professional look and feel.

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Team Biblical Counseling in the Local Church

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Strength in Numbers is a helpful introduction to biblical counseling done two-by-two by GodĂ˘â‚¬â„˘s people in the local church. It encourages readers to counsel based upon the sufficiency of Scripture and it encourages pastors to equip their people for the work of ministry. It is biblical, practical, and balanced. And, other than the aforementioned formatting issues, it is an easy, enjoyable read.

Knowing our identity in Christ is vital to glorifying God, defeating the lies of Satan, and ministering powerfully.

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Download for Free the Entire Series of Verses:

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If youĂ˘â‚¬â„˘ve enjoyed and benefited from our posts on Who I Am In Christ, then hereĂ˘â‚¬â„˘s a special gift for you. Go here for a free download of every verse from the entire series: http://bit.ly/eqNQ

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Coming Soon to a Blog Near You!

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YouĂ˘â‚¬â„˘ll also enjoy and be empowered by our next series of posts on Who I Am To Christ.

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HereĂ˘â‚¬â„˘s how these two sets of verses and spiritual principles are related:

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1. Who I Am IN Christ: This is our position in Christ. It relates to our being saints. These verses focus on our regenerationĂ˘â‚¬â€ťour new nature in Christ.

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2. Who I Am TO Christ: This is our relationship to Christ. It relates to our being sons and daughters of the King. These verses focus on our reconciliationĂ˘â‚¬â€ťour new family.

Recommended: Seeing with New Eyes offers a Christ-centered, comprehensive model for building a biblical theology of biblical counseling based upon a biblical psychology of human nature.

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Review: The CreatorĂ˘â‚¬â„˘s View of His Creation

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Author David Powlison is one of the foremost theologian-practitioners in the modern biblical counseling movement. Seeing with New Eyes compiles articles previously penned (over a period of two decades) by Powlison, all centered around the theme of a theology of biblical counseling.

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Thinking GodĂ˘â‚¬â„˘s Thoughts After Him

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Powlison defines counseling very practically as Ă˘â‚¬Ĺ“intentionally helpful conversations.Ă˘â‚¬Âť His goal in Seeing with New Eyes is to equip readers to look at such spiritual conversations through GodĂ˘â‚¬â„˘s perspectiveĂ˘â‚¬â€ťthis encompasses the Ă˘â‚¬Ĺ“new eyesĂ˘â‚¬Âť of the title. We see everything in life and ministry entirely differently when GodĂ˘â‚¬â„˘s eyes become our lens.

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Powlison uses the common and very helpful model of creation, fall, and redemption to unfold ScripturesĂ˘â‚¬â„˘ view of people, problems, and solutions. It is through this three-fold conceptual grid that Seeing with New Eyes seeks to assist the church in the care and cure of souls.

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The premise is simply profound: Does God have a take on counseling? Powlison answers in the affirmative: GodĂ˘â‚¬â„˘s gaze has everything to say about the myriad issues counseling addresses. Seeing with New Eyes aspires to listen well, to look closely, and to think hard within the patterns of GodĂ˘â‚¬â„˘s gaze.

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Opening Blind Eyes

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Powlison organizes his thoughts in two parts: Scripture Opens Blind Eyes and Reinterpreting Life. In part one, readers enjoy a biblical theology of biblical counseling from three books of Scripture: Ephesians, Psalms, and Luke. In part two, readers benefit from a biblical psychology of biblical counseling: what is the nature of human nature and why do we do what we do?

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In several chapters on Ephesians, Powlison seeks to understand how Paul uses Scripture and thus how we should do so in practical theology. He then explores PaulĂ˘â‚¬â„˘s view of God and the titanic difference our image of God must make in our lives and ministries. In a final chapter on Ephesians, Powlison uses Ephesians 5:21-6:4 as a model for understanding human relationships. Throughout this section Powlison artfully crafts a pastoral theology for real people with real life issues and a real God with real answers.

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Biblical counseling has sometimes been slow to emphasize suffering, instead focusing almost exclusively on sin. So it is encouraging to see Powlison spend two important chapters on the why and how of suffering, using the Psalms as his guide. These chapters provide a biblical sufferology useful both for the person going through suffering and for the person called along side to help the sufferer.

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His chapter on Luke is a sermon on JesusĂ˘â‚¬â„˘ sermon on worry. What Powlison does here is reflective of his entire purpose: he takes one section of Scripture and not only applies it, but models how we can apply it in biblical counseling.

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For readers wanting a full-blown, systematic, detailed theology of biblical counseling, Seeing with New Eyes may fall a little short. However, that was not PowlisonĂ˘â‚¬â„˘s purpose. However, for readers wanting an excellent introduction into how to view and use Scripture to begin to develop a biblical model of biblical counseling, Seeing with New Eyes is an excellent primer.

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What Is the Nature of Human Nature?: Why Do We Do What We Do?

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Having shared a foundational model of biblical counseling theology-building, Powlison now illustrates how to build a biblical psychologyĂ˘â‚¬â€ťa biblical view of Ă˘â‚¬Ĺ“personality theory.Ă˘â‚¬Âť Put practically, he asks and answers the question, from the perspective of the Creator, Ă˘â‚¬Ĺ“What makes us tick?Ă˘â‚¬Âť

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The strength of this section is found in PowlisonĂ˘â‚¬â„˘s insistence on building a view of human nature not coram anthropos (from the perspective of humanity), but coram Theos (from the perspective of God). We can understand people via people, or we can understand people via God. Powlison rightly chooses to understand the creature not through the creature but through the Creator.

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These nine chapters cover, in overview form, almost every issue a biblical counselor needs to ponder when developing a Christian approach to human nature. In each case, Powlison shows insight into the worldĂ˘â‚¬â„˘s perspective, shares his view of GodĂ˘â‚¬â„˘s perspective, and does both with a keen eye to practical application and ministry implications.

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Chapter 7 goes for the big picture of human motivation theory. It explores GodĂ˘â‚¬â„˘s Ă˘â‚¬Ĺ“X-rayĂ˘â‚¬Âť of what He sees when He looks at why we do what we do. The 35 X-ray questions are worth the proverbial price of the bookĂ˘â‚¬â€ťpractical, theological, psychological, motivational, convicting.

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Chapters 8 and 9 present a theology of desire and affections. Again, biblical counseling at times has been seen (and perhaps has been somewhat guilty of) to deemphasize desires, affections, and longings. These two chapters go a long way toward reemphasizing the biblical importance of and place of desire, rightly understood, in the ChristianĂ˘â‚¬â„˘s life. Powlison accurately demonstrates that desire and affection are good terms and core aspect of GodĂ˘â‚¬â„˘s design, but that because of the fall we must always battle the temptation to orient our desires away from God.

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No pie-in-the-sky theology, Powlison shows the practicality of a theology of desire/affection in chapter 10 when he addresses the question, What if your father didnĂ˘â‚¬â„˘t love you? How does a Christian counselor deal with the legitimate but unmet desire (see James 4:1-4) of Ă˘â‚¬Ĺ“father loveĂ˘â‚¬Âť?

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Similarly, PowlisonĂ˘â‚¬â„˘s chapter What Do You Feel? explores another area that at times has seen limited press in modern biblical counseling. How do we understand emotions biblically and how do we mature as emotional beings? Powlison strikes a good balance between living for feelings and ignoring feelings.

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In his final chapter, Powlison attempts to address the complex issues surrounding bio-psychology: what is the role and relationship of the body to the mind? Powlison, in the space allowed, provides a nuanced approach. For instance, Powlison summarizes supportively the historic rule of thumb in biblical counseling, Ă˘â‚¬Ĺ“See a doctor for your body. See your pastor, other pastoral counselors, and wise friends for your heart, soul, mind, might, manner of life, and the way to handle sufferings.Ă˘â‚¬Âť But perhaps because the mind/body issue is so complex in its God-designed interworking, this chapter at times felt a little less Ă˘â‚¬Ĺ“deepĂ˘â‚¬Âť and a little too Ă˘â‚¬Ĺ“definitive.Ă˘â‚¬Âť The possible interrelationship of mind/body, brain/soul at times seems a bit minimized. That said, Powlison does acknowledge the potential ambiguity and does encourage the biblical counselor to keep abreast of accurate medical research.

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Living Life Well

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Seeing with New Eyes is about living life well for GodĂ˘â‚¬â„˘s glory. It is a surprisingly cohesive book given that it pulls together over a dozen articles written over nearly two decades. It provides a consistent sampler of how to erect a biblical, God-honoring, God-following approach to people-helping. ItĂ‚Â supplies a compass, a GPS, a directional marker, a map to guide, without being a straight-jacket to follow blindly. The gaze of Christ does in fact shape the spiritual conversations between real people in the real world.

IĂ˘â‚¬â„˘d like to invite you to join me (Bob Kellemen) at the AACCĂ˘â‚¬â„˘s World Conference from Wednesday, September 16, 2009 through Saturday, September 19, 2009 in Nashville, TN.

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Our Biblical Counseling and Spiritual Formation Network (BCSFN) has many equipping events planned to empower you to change lives with ChristĂ˘â‚¬â„˘s changeless truth.

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BCSFN Pre-Conference

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The BCSFN will hold its first Ă˘â‚¬Ĺ“Conference-within-a ConferenceĂ˘â‚¬Âť during the AACC World Pre-Conference on Wednesday, September 18.

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In the morning session from 9:00 AM to Noon, I (Bob Kellemen) will present on Developing a Theology and Methodology of Biblical Counseling. Learn seven essential biblical counseling competencies necessary to build a truly scriptural approach to Christian counseling.

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In the afternoon session from 2:00 to 5:00 PM, Ron Hawkins will present on Using the Bible Accurately and Effectively in Biblical Counseling.

To register for the AACC World Conference Tracks, go here http://tinyurl.com/l284w6 and then select the Biblical Counseling and Spiritual Foundations tracks when you sign-up.

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BCSFN Mixer

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Please join us on Friday evening for the BCSFN Mixer. Our time together will include fellowship, connecting, discussing the latest happenings in the BCSFN, and interacting about ways our division can better equip our members. We want to get to know you and benefit from your participation!

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Register for the AACC World Conference

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Please visit the following linkĂ‚Â to register for the 2009 AACC World Conference: